Knights of the New Thunder

Knights of the New Thunder is effectively TNT’s international debut, adding new member Tony Harnell’s soaring high notes and Ronni Le Tekrø’s vivid guitar to traditional-metal hardness. Switching from Norwegian to English lyrics and bringing in the American singer Harnell, the band advanced at a stroke toward international melodic metal. The songs race compactly, but the melodic identity of later years is already clearly visible in the riffs and vocal lines. The openness of “Seven Seas,” the aggressive momentum of “Tor With The Hammer,” “Deadly Metal” and “U.S.A.,” and the catchiness of “Break The Ice” balance Nordic-metal clarity with hard-edged aggression at a high level. Harnell’s high register lends the songs lightness and flair, while Le Tekrø’s guitar shows off technique yet always sets off the singing. Full of young, dense energy before the band turned toward a more refined style, it is an accomplished metal album announcing TNT’s new departure.